Brush and collector ring assembly



L. R. ISERMAN Oct. 29, 1968 BRUSH AND COLLECTOR RING ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 10, 1967 [ayewm P. [sw m/z ATTORNEYS L. R. ISERMAN Oct. 29, 1968 BRUSH AND COLLECTOR RING ASSEMBLY- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 10, 1967 INVENTOR Sew/72am WW! h qm ATTORNEYS 3,408,609 BRUSH AND COLLECTOR Lavern R. Iserman, Waverly,

Equipment Accessories, Inc., Waverly, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed Jan. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 608,437 5 Claims. (Cl. 339-8) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A collector ring support means formed of a plurality of spacer members of electrical insulating material sup- RING ASSEMBLY Iowa, assignor to United supporting electrical leads connected with the brushes of the associated arms.

Background of the inwention.

The brush and collector ring assembly is adapted to provide electrical connections between relatively rotatable either by vertical displacement of the brushes with respect to the collector rings or by wobbling, oscillating, eccentric and orbiting movements of the rotatable part with respect to the fixed part of the apparatus.

Summary of the invention The present invention enables the brushes to properly engage the associated collector rings by supporting the brushes at the outer ends of pairs of arms which are vertically slidable on supporting pins. This enables the brushes to assume the correct vertical position so as to enable proper full contact of the brushes with the collector rings.

In addition, the brush support arms are provided with cutouts on facing surfaces thereof so that when the brushes are mounted within such cutouts, the brushes are disposed substantially in the same plane.

In one form of the invention, the brushes are adjustably mounted with respect to the associated arms so that they may pivot into a position so as to provide full contact even when the collector rings are misaligned or worn.

The brush support arms also include integral clip means whereby the electrical leads to the brushes on the arms are supported thereby eliminating the necessity of providing any extra means for supporting the leads, and furthermore preventing the leads from becoming entangled with adjacent components of the structure.

United States Patent 0 3,48,60 Patented Oct. 29, 1968 Brief description of the drawings view of a pair of brush support manner in which the brushes are respect to the brush support means.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a first form of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 inclusive. The collector ring support means in- 16 are threaded within radially extending holes provided in the wall of base member 10 whereby these set screws are adapted to secure the base member to an associated shaft. Four upwardly extending substantially equally spaced threaded studs 20 are fixed to the base member 10, these studs being employed for rigidly clamping the spacer members and collector rings in operative position as hereinafter described.

Referring to FIG. 4, an annular spacer member is bore 27 formed therethrough. The spacer ring 24 is formed of a suitable electrical insulating material such as plastic or the like, while collector ring 26 is formed of a suitable electrically conductive material such as brass or other typical substances employed in collector rings.

Spacer member 24 has a peripheral cutout portion extending therearound to form a shoulder 28 which receives the collector ring, the collector ring resting upon shoulder 28 with the bore 27 of the collector ring closely surrounding the portion of the spacer extending upwardly from shoulder 28.

It is apparent that the spacer members and collector rings are adapted to be nested upon one another, and as seen in FIG. 4, the thickness of the collector ring is such that when it is mounted upon the shoulder 28, the collector ring will extend upwardly above the upper surface of the associated spacer so that the next adjacent spacer above the collector ring is supported in spaced relationship from the spacer therebelow.

As seen particularly in FIG. 2, an uppermost spacer 24 is visible, all of these spacers being of identical construction. The spacers each include four spaced elongated relationship.

Referring again to FIG. 4, each of collector rings 26 has an electrical lead operatively connected with the inner periphery thereof, the lead including a radially inwardly extending portion 34- which is secured as by like to the inner surface of the collecsoldering or the tor ring, the lead then including an insulated portion 36 extending upwardly therefrom. As seen in FIG. 2, each of these upwardly extending insulated portions 36 of the leads passes through the aligned holes in the various spacers so that the leads are adapted to extend upwardly above the collector ring assembly and can be suitably connected in an electrical circuit.

As seen in FIG. 1, the collector present invention includes six collector rings 26 are sandwiched between seven spacers 24, a spacer 24 being disposed below the lowermost collector ring 26 and a further spacer being disposed above the uppermost collector ring. It is apparent that by varying the length of the threaded studs 20 secured to the base member 10, any number of collector rings and spacers may be stacked upon one another dependent upon the number of electrical leads which it is desired to connect in the electrical system.

As seen in FIG. 1, the brush support means of the present invention includes a substantially fiat support member including a depending portion 42 having a bore 44 formed through the depending portion and the support member 40, this bore 44 being aligned with the bore 12 formed through base member 10 previously described. A suitable grease fitting 46 is provided in support member 40 and is in communication with the bore 44 formed therethrough. It is apparent that a suitable shaft or the like is adapted to extend upwardly through bore 44 and within bore 12 so as to connect the aforedescribed collector ring support means for rotation with a shaft.

A first pair of holes 48 are formed through opposite end portions of support member 40 and are adapted to receive any suitable securing means for fixing the support member on a suitable supporting structure. A pair of threaded holes 50 are also provided through support member 44. A pair of pins 54 are each provided with lower threaded end portions 56 adapted to be threaded within the holes 50 formed in the support member, lock nuts 58 also being threaded on these lower threaded end portions for securing the pins in the operative position illustrated. Pins 54 have enlarged head portions 60 at the upper ends thereof.

The brush support means includes a plurality of pairs of arms each of which is of substantially identical construction, six pairs of arms being illustrated in the present embodiment. Since all of these pairs of arms are of identical construction, similar reference numerals have been applied to each pair of arms, and a description for a single pair of arms will suffice for all. Each pair of arms includes a first arm and a second arm 72, the inner ends of these arms as seen in FIG. 3 being provided with bores 70a and 72a respectively which fit relatively snugly about the outer surface of the associated pin 54 so that the arms are free to rotate about pin 54 and to slide vertically up and down thereon. The arms are each ring assembly of the which formed of a suitable insulating material such as plastic or the like.

As seen most clearly in FIG. 2, arms 70 and 72 have holes 74 and 76 formed therethrough respectively, and a tension spring 78 is provided, the opposite end portions of this tension spring comprising hook-like portions 78 and 80 respectively. As seen in FIG. 2, the end portion 78 provides a hook portion facing upwardly so as to be hooked through hole 74 from the undersurface of the arm 70, while the hook portion 80 at the opposite end of the tension spring opens downwardly so as to be hooked through the hole 76 from the upper side of arm 72. These tension springs serve to bias the outer ends of each pair of arms toward one another about a pivot axis formed through the associated pins.

As seen most clearly in FIG. 3, the undersurface of each of arms 70 is provided with a cutout 84, this cutout being substantially complementary to the shape of a brush 86 formed of suitable electrically conductive material such as brass or the like. This brush 86 is provided with an arcuate inner surface adapted to snugly fit against the outer curved surface of one of the collector rings in the usual manner. The brush is held in operative position by a bolt 88 passing through suitable aligned holes in the brush and the arm, a nut 90 being threaded on the outer threaded end of bolt 88 for clamping the brush in operative position.

An electrical lead 94 has one end thereof connected with the brush as by soldering or the like, and as seen most clearly in FIG. 1, each of leads 94 is supported by integral clip means including spaced portions 96 formed integrally on the outer side edge of each of arms 70, these portions 96 defining a space 98 therebetween, and being adapted to resiliently clamp the lead 94 in operative position so that the lead will not become entangled with adjacent components. These leads connected with the various brushes can obviously be connected with suitable components in an associated electrical circuit.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the upper surface of each of arms 72 is provided with a cutout portion 100, this cutout portion snugly receiving a brush 102 similar to the brushes 86 previously described. Each of brushes 102 is held in operative position by a bolt 104 extending through suitable holes provided in the brush and the arm 72, nuts 106 being threaded on the outer threaded ends of bolts 104 for clamping the brushes in operative position.

An electrical lead 108 is suitably secured at the outer end thereof to an associated brush 102 as by soldering or the like, and as seen most clearly in FIG. 1, each of leads 108 is resiliently clamped between spaced portions 110 defining an integral clip means on the outer side edge of the associated arm 72, a space 112 being provided between these portions.

It will be noted that the cutout portions provided in the adjacent pairs of arms are formed in facing surfaces adjacent side edges of the arms, these cutouts also extending through the outer end edge of each of the arms. As seen most clearly in FIG. 3, the cutout portions in arms 70 and 72 have a depth which is substantially one-half the thickness of the associated brushes so that the brushes are thereby disposed in substantially the same plane in the assembled relationship illustrated.

As seen in FIG. 1, six pairs of arms are provided, three pairs being disposed on one of the pins 54, and three pairs being disposed on the other of the pins. The brushes at the outer ends of each pair of arms are adapted to ride upon and engage the outer surface of one of the collector rings. In other words, there are six separate collector rings and six separate pairs of arms, each pair of arms being in engagement with one of the collector rings. Since the pairs of arms are freely vertically slidable on the associated pins, the arms are adapted to adjust themselves automatically in a vertical direction so that the brushes supported thereby will ride upon the associated collector rings. It is evident that the brushes are accurately disposed in the same horizontal plane with the arrangement as aforedescribed.

Referring now to FIG. 5 of the drawings, a modified form of the invention is illustrated wherein the major portion of the structure is of identical construction with that previously described, the similar parts having been given the same reference numerals primed as employed in describing the previous embodiment. The only difference in the structure shown in FIG. 5 lies in the cutout portions formed in the brush support arms and the manner of securing the brushes in place.

Arm 70' is provided with a cutout portion which is of greater dimension than the cutout portion 84 provided in the aforedescribed embodiment. The cutout portion 120 is such that it normally provides a clearance with respect to the inner end of the associated brush 122, this brush 122 being supported in position by a suitable fastening means indicated by reference numeral 124, this fastening means comprising a nut and bolt arrangement or the like which permits pivotal movement of the brush with respect to the associated arm.

Each of arms 72' spaced from this cutout portion, 134 similar to fastening means 124 movement of the brush with respect arm.

Reference numeral 140 indicates a portion of a first collector ring illustrated only in the upper portion of FIG. 5 and having its center at C1 which represents the true center of the over-all structure. When the collector ring is properly centered in this manner, brush 122 shown in the upper right-hand portion of FIG. 5 will be dispermitting pivotal to the associated misalignment of the collector rings due to wear or a faulty installation.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, and since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

I claim:

1. A brush and collector ring assembly comprising collector ring support means, at least one collector ring supported by said collector ring support means, brush support means including pin means, a pair of arms each of which is pivotally supported on said pin means, said arms being mounted for pivotal movement relative to one another, said arms being supported for sliding movepin means, resilient means normally ends of said arms toward one another, means supported at the outer end of each of a cutout portion in each of said arms, said ment along said biasing the outer extending beyond said side edges in a direction toward one another.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said brushes when in assembled relationship on said arms lie substantially in the same plane.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said brushes are supported on said arms at the outermost ends thereof.

least one collector ring ring support means, brush support means including upright pin means, a pair of arms, each arm having its upper and lower sides in parouter end of each of said arms in one of said parallel sides, said brush means including a brush disposed on a flat surface within each of said cutout portions, and means mounting each of ciated cutout portion for movement relative to said sur- RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner. 

